Hdspa Flow Control, Control Frames Rtt Measurement

ABSTRACT

A radio base station ( 104 ) is described herein that measures a round-trip-time (RTT) which is the time it takes an uplink (UL) control frame ( 109   a ) to travel to a radio network controller ( 102 )) and a downlink (DL) control frame ( 109   b ) to travel back from the radio network controller ( 102 ). If the measured RTT is greater than a predetermined threshold, then the radio base station ( 104 ) can correct a problem associated with too long of a RTT by reducing the bit rate of a certain high-speed (HS) user flow or by reducing the maximum bit rate for all of the HS traffic which is going to be sent by the radio network controller ( 102 ) over the transport link ( 106 ) to the radio base station ( 104.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/568,389 filed on May 5, 2004 and entitled “HSDPA Flow Control, Control Frames RTT Measurement”.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to a third generation cellular system and, in particular, to a radio base station (RBS) that can measure a round-trip-time (RTT) which is the time it takes an uplink (UL) control frame to travel over a transport link (Iub) to a radio network controller (RNC) and a downlink (DL) control frame to travel back from the RNC.

2. Description of Related Art

Today there is a high level of interest in enhancing the performance of a third generation cellular system that implements the high-speed-downlink-packet-access (HSDPA) provision of the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standard. The performance of the third generation cellular system could be enhanced if there was a way a radio base station (RBS) could measure a round-trip-time (RTT) which is the time it takes a frame to travel on a transport link (“Iub”) from the RBS to a radio network controller (RNC) and the time it takes another frame to travel back from the RNC to the RBS.

It would be desirable if the RBS knew the RTT, because then it could determine if the RTT is too long which can indicate that there is a problem with the transport link. And, if there is a problem with the transport link then this could lead to retransmissions between the RNC and a UE (user equipment such as a mobile handset or terminal). The retransmission of information between the RNC and the UE is not desirable because it reduces the HSDPA throughput. Unfortunately, the traditional RBS does not have the functionality to measure the RTT and as such it can not take corrective action to prevent the problematical retransmissions between the RNC and UE. This shortcoming is addressed by the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a RBS that measures a RTT which is the time it takes one frame to travel from the RBS to the RNC and then another frame to travel back from the RNC to the RBS. To accomplish this, the RBS would generate an UL control frame and transmit the UL control frame to the RNC. Upon receiving the UL control frame, the RNC would generate a downlink (DL) control frame and transmit the DL control frame to RBS. After receiving the DL control frame, the RBS measures the RTT which is the time it takes the UL control frame to travel from the RBS to the RNC and the DL control frame to travel from the RNC to the RBS. If the measured RTT happens to be greater than a predetermined threshold, then the RBS can address this problem by reducing the bit rate of a certain high-speed (HS) user flow or by reducing the maximum bit rate for all of the HS traffic which is going to be sent by the RNC to the RBS.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a third generation cellular network which includes a RBS that can measure a RTT in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates how the RBS shown in FIG. 1 can measure the RTT in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams that respectively indicate the preferred structure of an UL RTT control frame and a DL RTT control frame which can be used by the RBS so it can measure the RTT in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of a third generation cellular network 100 (in particular only a UTRAN 100 (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network 100 is shown) that has a RNC 102 and RBS 104 which are connected to one another via a transport link 106 (Iub 106). The RBS 104 includes a flow control mechanism 108 that can measure the RTT which is the time it takes one frame 109 a (e.g., UL RTT control frame 109 a) to travel from the RBS 104 to the RNC 102 and then another frame 109 b (e.g., DL RTT control frame 109 b) to travel back from the RNC 102 to the RBS 104. It is important that the RBS 104 is able to measure the RTT so that the RBS 104 can take corrective action and prevent retransmissions between the RNC 102 and a UE 116 (only one shown). How the RBS 104 can measure the RTT and the possible corrective actions which can be taken if the RTT is too long are described in detail below with respect to FIGS. 2-3.

The RBS 104 by being able to measure the RTT enables the detection of an Iub problem in the area of HSDPA. HSDPA is a wideband radio access network (WRAN) service that utilizes the air-interface 117 in an efficient manner by implementing shorter Transmit Time Intervals (TTIs). In accordance with the HSDPA, the air-interface power that is left between dedicated channel (DCH) users e.g., voice users, and the maximum power from the RBS power amplifier can be used for HSDPA users 116 (HS users 116). For clarity, the DCH users have not been shown. Because, the HS users 116 get a service similar to best effort means that the bit rate an HS user 116 can have over the air interface 117 varies anywhere from a high bit rate (being in the cell with line of sight and with a few DCH users) to a low bit rate (being in a cell without a line of sight and with a lot of DCH users).

The HSDPA also supports a similar best effort of service for HS users 116 with respect to the transport link 106. Thus, high-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) data frames 110 which are used by the HS user 116 are not admission controlled like the DCH data frames where each DCH flow has a certain bandwidth with a certain delay over the Iub 106. Instead, HS-DSCH data frames 110 which can belong to one or hundreds of medium access control-d (MAC-d) flows that share the same ‘best effort’ type of quality of service (QoS) class over the Iub 106. It should be noted that each MAC-d flow has a queue in the RNC 102 and RBS 104. And, each MAC-d flow can compete on ATM adaptation layer 2 (AAL2) Class C path(s) that are carried over unspecified bitrate (UBR+) type of ATM connections, or CBR VC or an IP-based transport network. If the IP-based transport is used, then the present invention is even more advantageous as it is not possible to use a CRC based congestion detection technique.

Because, HS-DSCH data frames 110 use a best effort type of service on the transport link 106 means that the detection of an Iub problem that occurs when the RTT is too long is important so that the Iub problem can be corrected. The Iub problem may be caused if there is too much HS traffic over a scarce Iub 106 which means that HS-DSCH data frames 110 will be dropped or delayed which increases the RTT to a point where an end-user 116 has a poor throughput. This type of Iub problem can be especially problematic to end-users 116 that use Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) for the packet data service because TCP is very sensitive to long RTTs. This Iub problem can also be problematic to end-users that use real-time services like voice over IP or real-time gaming. Another possible problem caused by an increased RTT is the loss of important signaling PDUs which are transmitted using the same best-effort transport network service. And, an extremely high HS-DSCH data frame loss ratio can cause any of these connections to be lost.

To detect this Iub problem, the present invention introduces the use of two RTT control frames referred to herein as the UL RTT control frame 109 a and the DL RTT control frame 109 b. These two RTT control frames 109 a and 109 b make it possible for the RBS 104 to measure the RTT which is the time it takes the UL RTT control frame 109 a to travel from the RBS 104 to the RNC 102 and the time it takes the DL control frame 109 b to travel back from the RNC 102 to the RBS 104. In order to accomplish this, the WCDMA RAN HSDPA hardware and software in the RNC 102 (including a flow control mechanism 118) and RBS 104 needs to be prepared for the introduction and use of the UL RTT control frame 109 a and the DL RTT control frame 109 b. One way this can be done is described next.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is a block diagram that is used to help describe how the RBS 104 and in particular the flow control mechanism 108 can measure the RTT using the UL RTT control frame 109 a and the DL RTT control frame 109 b. As shown, the flow control mechanism 108 (frame handler 202) has three inputs: (1) Iub RTT enabled 204 (per RNC and its RBSs); (2) Iub RTT limit 206 (per RBS); and (3) DL RTT control frame 109 b. And, two outputs: (1) RTT error flag 208 (per priority queue flow (PQF) per 100 ms); and (2) UL RTT control frame 109 a.

In the preferred embodiment, the RBS 104 (flow control mechanism 108) measures the RTT by sending the UL RTT control frame 109 a to the RNC 102 using the same transport network channel that is used by user plane HS-DSCH data frames 110. Once, the RNC 102 receives the UL RTT control frame 109 a, it then sends the DL RTT control frame 109 b to the RBS 104 in the same way it would answer a Capacity Allocation (CA) message by using a new Data Frame (DF) rate. After, the RBS 104 (flow control mechanism 108) receives the DL RTT control frame 109 b it can then calculate the RTT by measuring the time it took to receive the DL RTT control frame 109 b after it transmitted the UL RTT control frame 109 a. Again, the RBS 104 (flow control mechanism 108) by measuring the RTT can then determine if the RTT is too long. And, if the RTT is too long, then the RBS 104 (flow control mechanism 108) can take corrective action to correct the Iub problem and prevent retransmissions between the RNC 102 and the UE 116. How the RBS 104 can correct the Iub problem when there is a RTT that is too long is described next.

If the measured RTT is too long, then the RBS 104 and in particular a frame handler 202 sets and outputs the RTT error flag 208. In response to receiving the RTT error flag 208, the flow control mechanism 108 can temporarily decrease the bit rate (CARate) for the particular priority queue flow (PQF) of HS-DSCH data frames 110 that uses the same channel which was used by the RTT control frames 109 a and 109 b (see numeral “1” in FIG. 2). In particular, the RBS 104 can dynamically control the bit rate of a certain flow of HS-DSCH data frames 110 by sending a CA message to the RNC 102. And, if the measured RTTs are too long over a period of time, then the RBS 104 could lower the maximum bit rate (TargetHSRate) for all of the HS traffic sent over the Iub 106 (see numeral “2” in FIG. 2). Thereafter, if no more Iub problems have occurred over a period of time (10 s), then the RBS 104 could increase the maximum bit rate (TargetHSRate) for the HS traffic (see numeral “2 a” in FIG. 2).

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, there are diagrams that respectively indicate the preferred structure of the UL RTT control frame 109 a and the DL RTT control frame 109 b in accordance with the present invention. To incorporate the RTT control frames 109 a and 109 b into the 3GPP standard and in particular to 3GPP TS 25.435 (version 5) the following changes could be made to chapters 5 and 6:

5.8 General

5.8.1 Association Between Transport Bearer and Data/Control Frames

Table 1 shows how the data and control frames are associated to the transport bearers. ‘yes’ indicates that the control frame is applicable to the transport bearer, ‘no’ indicates that the control frame is not applicable to the transport bearer. TABLE 1 Associated control frames DL Outer Transport Transport Node DSCH Loop HS-DSCH HS-DSCH bearer Associated Timing Channels Synchroni- Dynamic Timing TFCI PC Info Capacity Capacity UL DL used for data frame Adjustment

sation PUSCH Advance Signalling

Request Allocation RTT RTT RACH RACH no no no no no no no no no no no DATA FRAME FACH FACH yes yes yes no no no no no no no no DATA FRAME CPCH CPCH no no no no no no no no no no no DATA FRAME PCH PCH yes yes yes no no no no no no no no DATA FRAME DSCH DSCH yes yes yes no no no no no no no no DATA FRAME USCH USCH no no no yes yes no yes no no no no DATA FRAME HS- HS- no no no no no no no yes yes yes yes DSCH DSCH DATA FRAME TFCI2 — yes yes yes no no yes no no no no no 5.X Round Trip (RTT)

The Round Trip Time (RTT) measurement procedure provides means for the Node B to initiate an RTT measurement via CRNC and back. The RTT measurement result can be used e.g. for fine-tuning HSDPA timing characteristics.

When CRNC receives an UL RTT control frame, CRNC replies with a DL RTT control frame containing the same RTT Sequence number and CmCH-PI value as received in the UL RTT control frame.

6.3.2.3 Control Frame Type

Description: Indicates the type of the control information (information elements and length) contained in the payload.

Value: Values of the Control Frame Type parameter are defined in Table 2. TABLE 2 Type of control frame Value OUTER LOOP POWER CONTROL 0000 0001 TIMING ADJUSTMENT 0000 0010 DL SYNCHRONISATION 0000 0011 UL SYNCHRONISATION 0000 0100 DSCH TFCI SIGNALLING 0000 0101 DL NODE SYNCHRONISATION 0000 0110 UL NODE SYNCHRONISATION 0000 0111 DYNAMIC PUSCH ASSIGNMENT 0000 1000 TIMING ADVANCE 0000 1001 HS-DSCH Capacity Request 0000 1010 HS-DSCH Capacity Allocation 0000 1011 UL RTT 0000 1100 6.3.3.X UL RTT 6.3.3.X.1 Payload Structure

FIG. 3A (actually FIG. 37 if implemented in the standard) shows the structure of the payload when control frame is used for RTT measurement, UL part.

6.3.3.X.2 UL RTT Sequence

Description: The 4-bit RTT Sequence enables use of several outstanding RTT measurements at the same time.

Value range: {0 . . . 15}.

Granularity: 1.

Field Length: 4 bits.

6.3.3.X.3 Common transport Channel Priority Indicator (CmCH-PI)

Refer to subclause 6.2.7.21.

6.3.3.X.4 Spare Extension

Refer to subclause 6.3.3.1.4.

6.3.3.Y Payload Structure

FIG. 3B (actually FIG. 38 if implemented in the standard) shows the structure of the payload when control frame is used for RTT measurement, DL part.

Note: The reason for having two ‘identical’ RTT control frames is for the use of different Spare Extension possibilities.

6.3.3.Y.1 DL RTT

6.3.3.Y.2 RTT Sequence

Description: The 4-bit RTT Sequence enables use of several outstanding RTT measurements at the same time.

Value range: {0 . . . 15}.

Granularity: 1.

Field Length: 4 bits.

6.3.3.Y.3 Common Transport Channel Priority Indicator (CmCH-PI)

Refer to subclause 6.2.7.21.

6.3.3.Y.4 Spare Extension

Refer to subclause 6.3.3.1.4.

For a more detailed discussion about HSDPA and WCDMA reference is made to the following standards:

-   -   3GPP, TS 25.435, Iub User plane for common channels.     -   3GPP, TS 25.425, Iur User plane for common channels.

The contents of these standards are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Following are some additional features, advantages and uses of the present invention:

-   -   The present invention is related to another patent application         Ser. No. ______ entitled “HSDPA Flow Control Data Frame, Frame         Number Sequence)” (Attorney Docket No. P19531). This particular         invention detects and corrects an Iub problem that is associated         with lost HS-DSCH data frames and can be used in conjunction         with the present invention. The contents of this patent         application are hereby incorporated by reference herein.     -   The present invention is related to another patent application         Ser. No. ______ entitled “HSDPA Flow Control Data Frame Delay         RNC Reference Time” (Attorney Docket No. P19530). This         particular invention detects and corrects an Iub problem that is         associated with buffer delays and can be used in conjunction         with the present invention. The contents of this patent         application are hereby incorporated by reference herein.     -   The present invention makes it possible for the RBS Flow Control         Algorithm to detect Iub congestion in a better way and to         improve the cell change characteristics.     -   Another advantage related to measuring the RTT is that it can be         used to help the flow control algorithm fine tune time constants         and bit rates. For instance, if the HS user 116 is located in         one cell, typically in a first RBS, and is about to be moved to         second cell associated with a second RBS. Then the buffer in         first RBS needs to be emptied just in time and the data sent to         the second RBS just in time. This process can be fine-tuned for         better performance if RTT is known.     -   It should be noted that certain details associated with the         components within the third generation cellular network 100 like         the RNC 102 and RBS 104 are well known in the industry.         Therefore, for clarity, the description provided above in         relation to the RNC 102 and RBS 104 omits those well known         details that are not necessary to understand the present         invention.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims. 

1-17. (canceled)
 18. A method for detecting a problem with a transport link between a radio network controller and a radio base station in a cellular system, said method comprising the step of: measuring a round-trip-time (RTT) it takes an uplink (UL) control frame to travel from the radio base station to the radio network controller and a downlink (DL) control frame to travel from the radio network controller to the radio base station.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of using the measured RTT to control a flow of high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) data frames.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein said UL control frame and said DL control frame are sent over a common channel which is also used by high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) data frames.
 21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of using the measured RTT to fine tune time constants and bit rates associated with a flow control mechanism in the radio base station.
 22. A cellular system, characterized by: a radio network controller; a transport link; and a radio base station, wherein said radio base station generates an uplink (UL) control frame and transmits said UL control frame to said radio network controller, upon receiving said UL control frame, said radio network controller generates a downlink (DL) control frame and transmits said DL control frame to said radio base station, and upon receiving said DL control frame, said radio base station measures a round-trip-time (RTT) it takes the UL control frame to travel from the radio base station to the radio network controller and the DL control frame to travel from the radio network controller to the radio base station.
 23. The cellular system of claim 22, wherein: said UL control frame includes a 4 bit RTT sequence and a common transport channel priority indicator (CmCH-PI); and said DL control frame includes a 4 bit RTT sequence and a common transport channel priority indicator (CmCH-PI).
 24. The cellular system of claim 22, wherein said UL control frame and said DL control frame are sent over a common channel which is also used by high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) data frames.
 25. The cellular system of claim 24, wherein if said measured RTT is above a predetermined threshold then said radio base station sends a message to said radio network controller instructing said radio network controller to decrease a bit rate of a priority queue flow (PQF) associated with a plurality of HS-DSCH data frames.
 26. The cellular system of claim 24, wherein if said measured RTT is above a predetermined threshold then said radio base station sends a message to said radio network controller instructing said radio network controller to decrease a maximum bit rate for all HS traffic which is sent over said transport link to said radio base station.
 27. The cellular system of claim 26, wherein said radio base station increases the maximum bit rate for the HS traffic after a predetermined period of time during which subsequently measured RTTs have not exceeded a predetermined threshold.
 28. A radio base station, characterized by: a flow control mechanism that measures a round-trip-time (RTT) it takes an uplink (UL) control frame to travel to a radio network controller and a downlink (DL) control frame to travel back from the radio network controller.
 29. The radio base station of claim 28, wherein said flow control mechanism uses the measured RTT to control a flow of high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) data frames.
 30. The radio base station of claim 28, wherein: said UL control frame includes a 4 bit RTT sequence and a common transport channel priority indicator (CmCH-PI); and said DL control frame includes a 4 bit RTT sequence and a common transport channel priority indicator (CmCH-PI).
 31. The radio base station of claim 28, wherein said UL control frame and said DL control frame are sent over a common channel which is also used by high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) data frames.
 32. A radio network controller, characterized by: a flow control mechanism that receives an uplink (UL) control frame which originated from a radio base station and then generates and transmits a downlink (DL) control frame towards the radio base station.
 33. The radio network controller of claim 32, wherein said UL control frame includes a 4 bit RTT sequence and a common transport channel priority indicator (CmCH-PI); and said DL control frame includes a 4 bit RTT sequence and a common transport channel priority indicator (CmCH-PI).
 34. The radio network controller of claim 32, wherein said UL control frame and said DL control frame are sent over a common channel which is also used by high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) data frames (110). 